Focused on infants and young children from birth to age 5, this book offers a multidisciplinary discussion of the needs of children and families involved with the child welfare system. It features basic information on child development, highlights key concerns and issues for children in the child welfare system, and presents expert advice on aspects of care that are often overlooked in child welfare.

Contributing authors from the fields of pediatrics, psychology, early intervention, social services, legal advocacy, theology, speech-language pathology, physical therapy, and nursing lend their diverse perspectives on children's developmental, medical, educational, and emotional concerns. This will enable professionals to broaden their perspective and obtain key knowledge from other fields. Child welfare professionals will find needed information on child development.

Medical professionals will learn about "the system" of child welfare. And all those working with the growing number of children and families in the child welfare system will benefit from the way this book spotlights innovative programs and proposes creative, collaborative models for intervention and prevention.